The Obama Foundation has released details about the design of a new athletic, program and event facility to take shape at the Obama Presidential Center located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Designed by Moody Nolan, the facility titled Home Court will offer the largest gathering space on the campus, serving as a place for community engagement as well as health and wellness activities. The venue is scheduled to become the first space within the Obama Presidential Center campus to open in late 2025.
The new 45,000-square-foot facility features a gymnasium with a regulation-size NBA court, practice courts, flexible seating, training spaces, and fitness equipment. The space is designed to offer diverse opportunities for visitors, from providing areas for sports to spaces that can welcome large events and even formal banquets. The building aims to become a valuable resource for the local community, allowing everybody to improve their health and well, and participate in educational programs.
The program of the new facility is inspired by two of President Obama’s personal passions, basketball and building communities. The facility is being built by Elevate Design Builders, an African-American-owned construction management firm headquartered in Chicago, and designed by Moody Nolan, the largest African American design firm in the United States.
The Home Court’s design is aligned with the Foundation’s sustainability goals, with special provisions being made to ensure that the expansive glass facades are fitted to protect the birds. Additionally, the programming is developed with the participation of local community organizations to better understand the needs of the needs of young people in the community. The Foundation also organized focus groups with youth grades 3-12 to ensure their voices are also informing the activities planned for the site.
The Home Court will support the Center’s mission as a forum for community, connection, and civic engagement with a focus on promoting well-being – inspiring hope and improving lives for generations to come. The process of architectural design embodies these values, for it is an act of hope – the outcome of which endures as a conversation between what is seen and how it is experienced. - Renauld Deandre Mitchell, Partner and Director of Chicago Operations at Moody Nolan
The Obama Presidential Center is an expansive campus located in Jackson Park in Chicago, Illinois. The campus will include outdoor and indoor venues including a Museum designed by Todd Williams Billie Tsien Architects, a library, an auditorium and a restaurant arranged around a public garden.
